Angel

Messengers of God, angels (angeloi in Greek and angeli in Latin) are considered part of an extensive celestial host arranged in various orders of importance, not unlike the ranking of earthly warriors.
Angels have mainly been represented in sculpture as individual guardians of humans, decorative elements in gilded wood to embellish altars, or candle or incense holders. The smaller angel images, as in this example, would have been part of the gilt work in the retable, merging into the leaves or the other decorations of the columns, or flanking the tabernacle.
This angel from the Museum’s collection is shown kneeling on clouds with hands folded and head bent. He wears a garment draped around his lower body. He has two feathered wings.